Pawan Bansal should resign for fair probe, says Samajwadi Party

Union railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal should resign to ensure fair investigation in the case related to the arrest of his nephew Vijay Singla for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs.90 lakh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) said Monday.

"It is a serious matter and Bansal should have resigned. The government is trying to protect him but he would have to go," SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said.

"Bansal should resign so that investigations are not influenced," he added.

The Congress on Sunday ruled out Bansal's resignation and said no action would be taken against him immediately, even as the opposition continued to press for his ouster.

Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla was arrested last week by the CBI for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs.90 lakh. The bribe was paid to him by two people for getting a senior railway officer, Mahesh Kumar, appointed as a member of the powerful Railway Board.